Push broom head and push broom including same

Abstract

A push broom head includes a body including an upper face, a lower face, a front face, a rear face, and left and right end faces. A plurality of sweeper bristles project outwardly from the lower face. A handle mounting block portion includes a socket adapted to receive an associated broom handle. The handle mounting block portion is located between left and right portions of the body. The body includes a plurality of open pockets defined in the upper face on both the left and right portions of the body. Each of the pockets opens through the upper face of the body and comprises a bottom wall. Each of the pockets defines a depth between the upper face of the body and the respective bottom wall.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A push broom head comprising:
 a body comprising an upper face, a lower face, a front face, a rear face, and left and right end faces; 
 a plurality of sweeper bristles projecting outwardly relative to the lower face; 
 a handle mounting block portion comprising an internally threaded socket adapted to receive an associated broom handle, wherein said handle mounting block portion is located between a left portion of said body and a′ right portion of said body; 
 said body comprising a plurality of open pockets defined in said upper face on both said left and right portions of said body, wherein each of said pockets opens through said upper face of said body and comprises a bottom wall, and wherein each of said pockets defines a depth between said upper face of said body and said respective bottom wall, wherein said depth of said pockets is greater than 50% of the distance between said upper face and said lower face of said body; 
 each of said pockets defined between two laterally extending ribs that extend between said handle mounting block portion and one of said left and right end faces and two axially extending ribs that extend between said front and rear faces and that intersect the two laterally extending ribs. 
 
     
     
       2. The push broom head as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said depth of said pockets is at least 67% of the distance between said upper face and said lower face of said body. 
     
     
       3. The push broom head as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said body comprises a one-piece molded polymeric structure. 
     
     
       4. The push broom head as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of pockets located on said left portion of said body are arranged in a first matrix of rows and columns, and said plurality of pockets located on said right portion of said body are arranged in a second matrix of rows and columns. 
     
     
       5. The push broom head as set forth in  claim 4 , wherein each of said pockets defines a rectangular opening in said upper face. 
     
     
       6. The push broom head as set forth in  claim 4 , wherein each of said pockets defines one of: (i) a circular opening in said upper face; (ii) a rectangular opening in said upper face. 
     
     
       7. The push broom head as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said left and right portions of said body each comprise at least a third laterally extending rib. 
     
     
       8. The push broom head as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein said front face comprises an outwardly facing side of a first one of said laterally extending ribs, and said rear face comprises an outwardly facing side of a second one of said laterally extending ribs. 
     
     
       9. The push broom head as set forth in  claim 8 , wherein said third laterally extending rib of both said left and right portions of said body is centrally located between said first and second laterally extending ribs. 
     
     
       10. The push broom head as set forth in  claim 8 , wherein both said left and right portions of said body comprise a plurality of said axially extending ribs that extend between said first and second laterally extending ribs. 
     
     
       11. The push broom head as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising an elongated push broom handle connected to said internally threaded socket of said handle mounting block portion. 
     
     
       12. The push broom head as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein each of said pockets defines one of: (i) a circular opening in said upper face; (ii) a rectangular opening in said upper face. 
     
     
       13. A push broom head comprising:
 an elongated one-piece polymeric body including an upper face and a lower face, wherein a plurality of bristles project outwardly relative to the lower face and the upper face comprises a plurality of open pockets that define a waffle structure in said upper face; 
 said body further comprising a handle mounting portion adapted to be connected to an associated broom handle; 
 each of said pockets defining a depth relative to said upper face that is greater than 50% of the distance between said upper face and said lower face; and, 
 each of said pockets defined between two laterally extending ribs that extend between said handle mounting portion and one of left and right end faces and two axially extending ribs that extend between front and rear faces. 
 
     
     
       14. The push broom head as set forth in  claim 13 , further comprising an elongated push broom handle connected to said handle mounting portion. 
     
     
       15. The push broom head as set forth in  claim 13 , wherein each of said pockets defines one of: (i) a circular opening in said upper face; (ii) a rectangular opening in said upper face. 
     
     
       16. A push broom head comprising:
 a one-piece polymeric body comprising an upper face and a lower face; 
 a plurality of sweeper bristles projecting outwardly relative to the lower face; 
 said one-piece body further comprising a handle mounting block portion comprising an internally threaded socket adapted to receive an associated broom handle, wherein said handle mounting block portion is located between a left portion of said body and a right portion of said body; 
 said body comprising a plurality of open pockets defined in both said left portion of said body and said right portion of said body, wherein each of said pockets opens through said upper face of said body, and wherein said pockets are separated from each other by and defined between a plurality of intersecting laterally extending and axially extending walls such that said pockets defined in both said left portion of said body and said right portion of said body are arranged in rows and columns, each of said pockets defining a depth greater than 50% of the distance between said upper face and said lower face of said body.